Stranger In The Castle
by Bookworm1611
Summary: Scarlett never thought she would find herself trapped in Twilight. Most of all find her soulmates in this universe. Watch how she changes the story and messes everything up. Sucks to be Bella ;) bad language all rights to stephanie meyer
1. INTRO

Introduction

Name:- Scralett Swan

Age:- 18

Appearance:- Black hair, with blackish brown eyes, hourglass figure,full pink lips

Father:- In Twilight, Charlie Swan

Mother:- In Twilight, Renée Dwyer

Sister :- In Twilight, Bella Swan

Love interests:- ;))

Likes:- Books,Music,Dancing,Shopping,Running

Hates:-Liars,Cheaters,Abusers,Bullies

Powers:- To be revealed;)


	2. PROLOGUE

violet_shades/set?id=224590705

I was going to a date with my boyfriend, Harry. We had met in college and we hit it off, we had been dating for 3 years and I fell in love with him. We are living together. But lately, I have been feeling off. There is this nagging feeling that we are not going to last, that there is someone else out there waiting for me, that it is going to crash and burn. I tried to shake my doubts away but the keep coming back. I had a very difficult life, my parent had died and I lived in an orphanage. But I learned to survive. I had a photographic memory and I was ruthless, after all I lived in an orphanage and the main the rule was Survival of The Fittest. I learned to bite back and fight so nobody harmed me. I did odd jobs and earned money to go to school and earned scholarships. Slowly, I got a scholarship into college, got a good job and here I am. We were going to see a movie and then eat out. I shook out of my thoughts and concentrated on my driving. I was driving straight when I saw a deer standing a few feet from my car, I turned the steering wheel to avoid it but the car went out of control and went into the forest. The car was going on a higher speed and it was going faster and faster. I froze for a minute.

'Scarlett , you have to save yourself, come on.' I tried to open the car's door but it was stuck. I was panicking now, I could not think straight. God, I was hydrophobic. Why did the stupid second hand car had to malfunction. I can not die, I can not. I have to survive, I am a survivor.

"Nothing can defeat me." I said as my car went into the lake. Water was quickly filling the car through the windows. I tried to gasp for air, open the door somehow but I could not. Water filled my mouth, my nostrils and I could not breathe. My last thought was do what you can, I am a survivor.

P.S:- The prologue is short but I the length would increase. Hope you like it, only your comments motivate me to write. So please review :))


	3. Chapter 1

cgi/set?id=224598098 - bedroom

bathroom/set?id=224599245 - bathroom

 _ **The early years:-**_

"Scarlett wake up, breakfast is ready." a voice shouted

'Ugh, where am I?' I had a splitting headache. Who is this person making such a racket at this time? Whatever, I need to fix some coffee for myself. I wonder about the person who pulled me out. I guess I am at their place.

I looked around the room. It was beautiful.

"Scarlett, come quickly."

"I am coming in five minutes." I said. 'Wait, why did my voice sound so childish, like a preschooler. Definitely not my normal voice. I want to go and assess my appearance, I can not go down there looking like a drowned rat. Why are my limbs smaller? What the hell is happening? Suddenly, I heard some footsteps. A pretty lady with brown hair and blue eyes picked me up.

"Aw baby, mummy forgot about your accident. How are you, sweetheart ?" she asked

Wait...What? I am an orphan. I don't have a mother. What is happening here? It would be best if I played along.

For now!

"I am fine. I wanna brush my teeth." I said.

"Ok come with me. Bella has already brushed her teeth and is watching TV." she said

Who the hell is this Bella,now? Maybe a friend staying over or a sibling...who knows?

We went to the bathroom. I looked at my reflection.

Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit, I had anticipated that I would be young, but this young? I am a freaking toddler.

What happened? I wanted to survive , I get it, but I am stuck in an entirely different universe. What about Harry? Maybe I would be reported dead or worse missing. But I can not pity myself. I got an opportunity , I will exploit it. I have a family now. I will ponder about everything else later.

"Mommy, I am hungry. Can we go and eat?"

"Yes darling. You gave me quite a scare yesterday. You almost drowned. I was so worried , I almost forbade you from going to La Push. But Billy and Charlie convinced me to let you go to the you are not allowed to go to the beach. Alright "

" Yes Ma, I won't do it again"

"Good, because Mommy loves you very much."

So the events coincide, I mean I died in the same way and wanted to survive...so maybe I came here? But why me? There must be hundreds and hundreds of people dying but why only me? There must be some factor which was pulling me here, I concluded. My stomach growled, it is so embarrassing. Well lets go and fill my stomach.

We reached the table and I started eating my food. I ate my eggs happily and kept my plate in the sink.

I realised something, Bella; Charlie;Billy;La Push , all of them lead to a single conclusion...no it is just a coincidence right? Riiiiight? I will check it right now.

"Hey BELLA, let us go play with Jacob Black." I said

"Mum would not allow us to go and play with Jake right now, maybe later."

"Was anybody scolded yeshterday?"

"Yes I was, a lot. Why did you go out to play in the beach when you know you are a klutz? I told you not too and because of you I was scolded a lot. Not you, " she said and she stomped upstairs

"Looks like she only cares about her rep. " I muttered

To be honest I was a little hurt that my sister would not care for my well being but a , I do not care. So I am in Twilight , sheeesh, it gives me a headache to think about it. But maybe I could create mischief, maybe I could tell Eddie boy about my feelings for him and mess up Alice's visions, and tease Rosalie. Whatever happens, I am going to enjoy a lot because I know a lot and maybe I can help Bella grow a backbone,though I doubt I want to.

Whatever happens it is gonna be fun. Let the games begin ;)))

 **A/N:- SOOOOOOO...I GAVE UP ON MY FIC, ALMOST, BUT 2 OF MY READERS CONVINCED ME TO CONTINUE I SO ENJOY. THE CHAPTERS LENGTH WILL INCREASE FROM NOW ON. SORRY BUT THE IMAGE CAN NOT BE LOADED.**


	4. Chapter 2

_OVER THE YEARS_

 _SCARLETT POV :-_

Bella and I were very different but we got along mostly as long as I ignored her. The moment I speak to her she snaps. Sometimes I swear I could see a flash of jealousy in her eyes when mom or dad praised me on my achievements,I mean she was my sister and family's supposed to be supportive. I could also see her childishness and submissiveness, due to which she faded in the background. Her self-esteem was also very low as she was known as Scarlett's sister and rather than come out of my shadow, she continued to sink deeper into it. She hated getting into fights and was more closed off. She was a big attention seeker and had a huge inferiority complex. She would always somehow manage to throw a tantrum on the day I achieved something, but she had a kind side which was only shown to me when I was sick because underneath all her shit she cared for me. She was very helpful and that's that, she was clumsy as hell and I swear her body was so uncoordinated that she could trip over air. She had a variety of bruises,cuts and scratches. She also hated animals, I mean who hates animals right? And she had a huge tantrum when I brought a stray puppy home. But I won in the end as I appealed to mum's humanity and I named her Roxy. Bella avoids Roxy most of the time but it is alright, it's not as if she is afraid of her. I was the kind of student who did not work hard and still managed to get the best grades. Well I had an advantage, that being my photographic memory. I had also started to participate in lots of sports ,even though I had not been a sporty person. But who cares, you only got one life ,live it now I have a new understanding of the Cullen's feelings on school. The house was filled with various kinds of awards won by me and Bella. I also did many part time jobs so as to go to college. Mom was still a big scatterbrain and so Bella and I took care of the household chores. Mom was more of a friend an less of a Mother, she would love to hear about all my boyfriends and crushes and all the gossip. Meyer had not developed her character that much and implied that she was irresponsible to leave Bella to take care of everything, but it is not true. She was a good cook and taught me and Bella how to cook. She taught us responsibility and showered us with as much love and affection possible. She was a freelance writer and earned enough money to manage. The prize money we earned from competitions went straight to my college fund so that I d not require anyone's assistance. I often got a hollow feeling and at first I thought I had an illness but I had none of the other symptoms. It had been there my whole life but it had increased here. I felt that there were three gaping holes in my soul. I tried to fill that gap by making plenty of friends and dating but it never filled. I also loved to visit Forks and I became close to Charlie. I knew that with Charlie I had to initiate the conversation and push him. I hated that Bella had a family: a mom and a dad and yet she still refused to respect her dad. She did not know his value, i guess but as it is said that 'You do not know what you have until it is gone'. She refused to visit Forks but it is not going to stop me. I was as thick as thieves with Jacob and Rachel Black which delighted Billy and Dad to no end. We had nicknamed ourselves as the Golden Marauders along with Quil and Embry and of course with Bella tagging along with us. We used to have a lot of fun. My mum had started dating Phil and we got along very well. He was a Minor league baseball player and also a High School Baseball Coach. He came along and helped us a lot. I could see the pain in mom's eyes when he had to leave to play baseball so Bella and I decided to move to Forks...this way she could join him.

I have often wondered about what would happen when I move to Forks. I mean Cullens are damn talented, Eddiekins can read minds; Jasper is empathetic; Alice resembles a seer; Emmett is very strong; Carlisle can get me admitted in a mental institution as quick as a I can say shit; Rosalie is ruthless, so I would have to be very careful. I can divert my thoughts around Eddie carefully by thinking about boring things and I can avoid making concrete decisions to avoid Alice but Jasper is the one who confounds me. Meyer grossly undermined his powers but I can not avoid him completely. Adding to the fact that he was a major and was in the vampire. He would be very observant and the most dangerous Cullen. And I am not letting Bella go to the Volturi alone, so I have to concoct another plan for them. I want Bella to turn into a vampire as soon as possible but I am also curious about Volturi, there is just this nagging feeling which will just not go. I can ask them to give a year and then maybe they can turn her themselves to avoid conflict with the wolves. She can make the excuse that she will be going to college, so that will give her enough time to adjust and get over being a newborn by controlling her thirst.

Bella and I will be leaving to Forks soon... EDWARD WATCH OUT

A/N:-  THIS WILL GIVE YOU AN OUTLOOK ON SCARLETT'S RELATIONSHIP WITH HER FAMILY AND ESPECIALLY BELLA ALONG WITH HER FEELINGS ON CULLENS. I HOPE YOU LOVE THIS CHAPTER AS YOU HAVE THE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS HAIRBRUSHAIRBRUSH AND ASECRETRENAISSANCE. LOVE YOU GUYS FOR REVIEWING. THANKS FOR FAVOURITING MY STORY


	5. Chapter 3

_Scarlett POV:-_

Mom drove us to the airport with the windows rolled down. It was seventy-five degrees in Phoenix, the sky a perfect, cloudless blue. Bella was wearing her favorite shirt - sleeveless, white eyelet lace and jeans; I was wearing my black one shouldered top and blue floral jeans.

We were going to a small town named Forks which exists under a near-constant cover of clouds. It was from this town our mother supposedly escaped with us when we were only a few months old. Although I always loved its greenery and quaintness. It looked like a typical small town but it was gorgeous nonetheless. It was in this town that I spent a month every summer along with Bella until, well until she was fourteen. However I would never quit visiting Forks as I loved it too much so I put my foot down; these past three summers, I went to Forks and visited Charlie. I also visited the Blacks everyday although Rachel left, I miss her horribly and we still talk on the phone so that's that.

I would miss Mom and Phil and Phoenix. I loved Phoenix, the sun , the blistering heat, the vigorous, sprawling city but I loved Forks too and it would be great to live with Dad. I missed him so much, he was a person who had been hurt many times but still bore it and I could at least try to lessen the hurt that Bella would cause him. I was too damn excited though, and I was lightly jumping up and down.

"Stop jumping, Scarlett." Bella hissed

"Oh shut up, Isabella, stop acting like you are going to your own funeral. It won't hurt you to I am just jumping up and down because I am excited to see dad and all my friends. You see unlike you I missed them a lot and I want to visit them."

"Bella , Scarlett," my mom said to me - the last of a thousand times - before I got on the plane. "You don't have to do this."

I could see that she was not trying to cry, I just went and hugged her tightly to comfort her.

"Don't worry Mom. Everything would be alright, take care of yourself , we will be fine." I said and kissed her cheek.

"I want to go," Bella lied. she had always been a bad liar, but she had been saying this lie so frequently lately that it sounded almost convincing now.

"Tell Charlie I said hi."

"I will." I said excitedly

"I'll see you soon," she laughed seeing my excitement ."You can come home whenever you want -I'll come right back as soon as you need me."

But I could see the sacrifice in her eyes behind the promise.

"I know mom besides I will call you everyday so you will probably be irritated with me. Don't be a worrywart, love you."

"Yeah Mom, don't worry about me," Bella urged. "It'll be great. I love you, Mom."

She hugged Bella tightly for a minute, and then we got on the plane. It's a four-hour flight from Phoenix to Seattle, another hour in a small plane up to Port Angeles, and then an hour drive back down to Forks. Flying doesn't bother me; I was impatient and wanted to meet Dad as soon as possible. I looked over at Bella and could see her feelings writ on her face.

Dad had really been fairly nice about the whole thing . He seemed genuinely pleased that we were coming to live with him , because he is very lonely and he missed us. I bet he was very excited about the whole thing. He'd already gotten us registered for high school and was going to help us get a car. I chuckled to myself thinking about Bella's reaction to Forks High School especially Mike, but if Mike tried to shit with me I would punch him in the face, or better knee him in the place where the sun does not shine.

It was sure to be awkward between Dad and Bella. Neither of them were what anyone would call verbose, and she didn't know what there was to say regardless I would end the silence. I hate awkward silences. I knew he was more than a little confused by our decision - like our mom before us. Or not by my decision because I always wanted to stay in Forks for a year or two but Belly baby had not made her dislike a secret.

When I landed in Port Angeles, it was raining. I loved rain so I just stood still and admired it. I loved reading and listening to music in the rain.

"What do you think you are doing?" she asked

"Admiring the rain obviously." I said "It wakes up the inner poetess in me you know. Just standing still for a moment and thinking."

"Stop wasting time and move ahead. Charlie must be waiting."

I glared at her.

"He is our father Bella, have some respect."

Dad was waiting for us with the cruiser. Dad is the Police Chief Swan to the good people of Forks.

I ran up to him and threw my arms around him. He responded by spinning me and the put me on my feet.

"Hi there Dad, how is it going ?" I said and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I finally convinced my klutz of a sister to stay at Forks for a year or two, so now all of us can have a blast together. And maybe you can start eating some home made food."

Dad then went to greet Bella and gave her an awkward, one-armed hug when she stumbled his way. I swear this girl could trip on thin air.

"It's good to see you, Star and Bells," he said, smiling as he automatically caught and steadied Bella.

"You haven't changed much. How's Renée?"

"Mom's fine. It's good to see you, too, Dad." Bella said She wasn't allowed to call him by his name to his face.

Bella had bought only a few bags while I bought as many bags as possible with me, most of them were filled with my books. Most of our Arizona clothes were too permeable for Washington so all of us had pooled our resources to supplement our winter wardrobe, but it was still scanty. It did not fit easily into the cruiser so we had to put some in the passenger seat and the back seat.

"I found a good car for you guys to share, really cheap," he announced when we were strapped in. Oh joy, I get an old red Chevy which was older than my great grand dad. Well at least Jake could fix it if we had any problems.

"What kind of car?" Bella was suspiciously asked

"Well, it's a truck actually, a Chevy."

"Where did you find it?" I asked

"Do you remember Billy Black down at La Push?" La Push is the tiny Indianreservation on the coast.

"No."

"Yes Dad, we spent half the summer together with him. Besides he is my best friend's dad." I said

"Oh well not half of the summer." Dad protested

"Dad, he used to go fishing with us during the summer, and he often came to our house for watching matches " I added

"He's in a wheelchair now," Charlie added when Bella didn't respond, "so he can't drive anymore, and he offered to sell me his truck cheap."

"What year is it from?" Bella asked. I could see from his change of expression that this was the question he was hoping we wouldn't ask. Poor Dad,of course he could not afford a great car but he made an effort, plus its the thought that counts.

"Well, Billy's done a lot of work on the engine - it's only a few years old, really."

"When did he buy it?" Bella asked. Oh for Fuck's sake shut up. It is a second hand truck, deal with it. You can't expect him to get a new truck just because you are coming. Be a little grateful to your Dad, for once in your life.

"He bought it in 1984, I think."

"Did he buy it new?" Bella asked

"Well, no. I think it was new in the early sixties - or late fifties atthe earliest," he admitted sheepishly.

"Ch - Dad, I don't really know anything about cars. I wouldn't be able to fix it if anything went wrong, and I couldn't afford a mechanic..." Bella said

"Oh be quiet Bella baby, Dad if there is any problem, I will ask J to fix it." I said

"Really, Bella, the thing runs great. They don't build them like that anymore." Charlie tried to assure Bella

"How cheap is cheap?" Bella asked

"Well, honey, I kind of already bought it for you. As a homecoming gift." Charlie peeked sideways at us with a hopeful expression.

"Thanks a lot, Dad" I said while bouncing lightly. Maybe this truck would not be as dilapidated as Bella made it out to be. She can really exaggerate things sometimes. I saw Dad smiling at me.

"Calm down Star, we will reach there in some time." Dad said

"You didn't need to do that, Dad. I was going to buy myself a car." Bella said. Way to ruin someone's parade.

"I don't mind. I want you to be happy here." He said while looking ahead at the road .

"That's really nice, Dad. Thanks. I really appreciate it." Bella said

"Well, now, you're welcome," he mumbled,embarrassed by her thanks.

"So Dad, did you catch any big fish?" I asked and we ended up talking about all kinds of things-including fishing on the way to Forks.

Eventually we made it to Dad's house. He still lived in the small,three-bedroom house that he'd bought with my mother in the early days of their marriage. Those were the only kind of days their marriage had - the early ones. There, parked on the street in front of the house that never changed, was our new - truck. It was a faded red color,with big, rounded fenders and a bulbous cab. To my intense surprise, Bella loved it. I didn't know if it would run, but I could see myself in , it was one of those solid iron affairs that never gets damaged -the kind you see at the scene of an accident, paint unscratched, surrounded by the pieces of the foreign car it had destroyed.

"Wow, Dad, I love it! Thanks!" Bella exclaimed

"Yes Dad, I love it too." I said as a small white lie won't hurt him. Well I neither loved it nor hated it. At least we wouldn't be faced with the choice of either walking two miles in the rain to school or accepting a ride in the Chief's cruiser.

"I'm glad you guys like it," Charlie said gruffly,embarrassed again.

It took three trips to get all my stuff upstairs. I got the east bedroom that faced out over the forest. The room was familiar; it had been belonged to me since I was born. The wooden floor, the light blue walls and one textured like an ocean , the peaked ceiling, the blue around the window -these were all a part of my childhood. The only change Dad had ever made was adding a desk as I grew. The desk now held a the phone line for the modem stapled along the floor to the nearest phone jack. This was a stipulation from my mother, so that we could stay in touch easily. I had my own laptop, so Dad did not buy me a second hand computer. I had won it in a competition in Phoenix.

There was only one small bathroom at the top of the stairs, which I would have to share with Dad and Bella baby. I was trying not to dwell too much on that fact.

One of the best things about Dad is that he doesn't hover. He left me alone to unpack and get settled, a feat that would have been altogether impossible for my mother. He was like my silent rock, who would always support me and never asked anything in return, a fact which I was not used to. It took a lot of time to trust Mom and Dad and Bella but I now trusted them with my life. Well maybe,not Bella.

Forks High School had a frightening total of only three hundred and fifty-seven - now fifty-nine - students; there were more than seven hundred people in my class alone back home. All of the kids here had grown up together - their grandparents had been toddlers together.

We would be the new girl from the big city, a target for jealousy for girls and mystery for boys. I could easily fit in and make friends. I was a little nervous about making friends because I did not know any characters in my class. I was not that worried about Bella.

When I finished putting my clothes in the old pine dresser, I took my bag of bathroom necessities and went to the communal bathroom to clean myself up after the day of travel. I looked at my face in the mirror as I brushed through my tangled, damp back skin could was clear and slightly tanned and I had no dark circles or any other my reflection in the mirror, I thought that I looked nice.

I slept well that night, like a baby, the constant whooshing of the rain and wind across the roof calmed me down. I pulled the faded old quilt over my head, and later added the pillow, too.

 _A/N WE HAVE REACHED FORKS SO DO YOU LIKE THIS CHAPTER, PEOPLE? HOPE YOU DO TELL ME YOUR OPINIONS. CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM IS WELCOME._


	6. Chapter 4

_SCARLETT POV_

Thick fog was all I could see out my window in the morning, and I was very nervous. After all, I will finally face the Cullens. Breakfast with Dad and Bella was a quiet event. I was very nervous so I just ended up carrying an apple.

"Best of luck for school." Dad said

"Thanks Dad, have a nice day" I said waving my hand

" Thank you Ch-Dad" Bella said in a depressed voice

"Lighten up Bella, it's not as if the ground is going to swallow us or as if Ragnarok is coming."

"Good luck tends to avoid me." she whispered Well that was actually very true , she was a magnet for danger. She ended up attracting a coven of vampires all in a day's work.

Dad left first, off to the police station. After he left, Bella and I sat at the old square oak table in one of the three chairs and examined his small kitchen, with its dark paneled walls, bright yellow cabinets, and white linoleum floor. Nothing had changed.

"Come on Bells, let us leave. I doubt we would be too early to school plus we have to get our time tables and stuff so let's rush." I said and Bella donned her jacket

It was just drizzling still, not enough to soak us through immediately as Bella reached for the house key that was always hidden under the eaves by the door, and locked up.

The truck still smelled faintly of tobacco, gasoline, and peppermint. The engine started quickly,to my relief, but loudly, roaring to life and then idling at top volume. What a monstrous sound. I , a truck this old was bound to have a flaw. At least the antique radio worked.

Finding the school wasn't difficult, though I'd never been there before. The school was, like most other things, just off the highway. It looked like a collection of matching houses, built with maroon-colored bricks. A bit small to be honest.

Bella parked in front of the first building, which had a small sign over the door reading front office. We stepped out of the toasty truck cab and walked down a little stone path lined with dark hedges. Inside, it was brightly lit, and warmer than I'd hoped. The office was small; a little waiting area with padded folding chairs, orange-flecked commercial carpet, notices and awards cluttering the walls, a big clock ticking loudly.. The room was cut in half by a long counter, cluttered with wire baskets full of papers and brightly colored flyers taped to its front. There were three desks behind the counter, one of which was manned by a large, red-haired woman wearing glasses.

The red-haired woman looked up. "Can I help you?"

"I'm Isabella Swan," Bella informed her

"And I am Scarlett Swan" I said

"Of course," she said. She dug through a precariously stacked pile of documents on her desk till she found the ones she was looking for.

"I have your schedules right here, and a map of the school." She brought several sheets to the counter to show went through our classes for me, highlighting the best route to each on the map, and gave us a slip to have each teacher sign, which we had to bring back at the end of the day.

"I hope both of you have a nice day." she said

"Thank you . Have a nice day to. Bye" I said while smiling

"Yes thank you ." Bella said

The nicest car here was a shiny Volvo which belonged to Eddiekins here, and it stood much for them fitting in.

I stuffed everything in my bag, slung the strap over my shoulder, stepped out of the truck.

"Don't worry Bella baby, remember I skipped a grade so you will not be alone. So stop being a worrywart."I said while shuffling her hair

Bella took our slips up to the teacher, a tall, balding man whose desk had a nameplate identifying him as Mr. Mason. He gawked at us when he saw our names - and sent us to our desk without introducing us to the class.

"Can we introduce ourselves or are we supposed to let the students stare at us as if we are items in a exhibition?" I asked

"Of course,of course go ahead." he said

"Hello people, my name is Scarlett Swan and I am from Phoenix , Arizona. I love doing almost everything except sports, I hate sports. So please welcome me with open arms." I said

"H-hi my name is Isabella Swan, call me Bella."

It was harder for my new classmates to stare at me in the back, but somehow, they managed. I kept my eyes down on the reading list the teacher had given me. It was fairly basic: Bronte, Shakespeare, Chaucer, Faulkner. I'd already read everything. That was comforting not... I might read them again.

"You're Isabella and Scarlett Swan, aren't you?" He asked

"No we are aliens from Mars and we plan to become the leaders of this world." I said sarcastically

"Um, yeah very funny, um so where's your next class?" he asked Bella.

"Um, Government, with Jefferson, in building six." she said

"I'm headed toward building four, I could show you the way..." Definitely over-helpful. "I'm Eric," he added.

I left for my own class right now. I had Italian and I did not need him to offer his assistance to me, I hope that at-least Bella can keep him distracted for a while.

I went into building six and handed my slip to Mr. Prince.

"Please introduce yourself in Italian." Mr. Prince asked

"Ciao il mio nome è Scarlett Swan. Sono venuto da Phoenix, leggere, ascoltare musica, imparare cose nuove e così via spero che mi accoglierai." (Hello my name is Scarlett Swan. I come from Phoenix, Arizona. I read, listen to music, learn new things and so on I hope you will welcome me.)

"Very good. Please go and sit near Ms. Cullen." He directed me towards Rosalie Cullen who was glaring at me. I refused to be intimidated and glared right back at her and went to sit next to her.

"Now listen, I don't know why you find me annoying or dislike me but listen well and listen good, I am not going to tolerate any shit. " I said. I could see Rosalie was surprised and so she nodded her head in shock. I doubt many people have ever spoken to her in that way. I had always respected her character, she had gone through so much and survived but I won't have her glaring at me the whole period. I would like to surround myself with positive energy rather than negative.

"Today class, I want you to work on a project about one of Italy's beautiful cities. Your partners for the project would be the ones sitting next to you and I want the project by next Monday."

Oh goody goody, looks like we are going to be partners after all. How exciting. Note the sarcasm.

"So since we are partners, we will share the work and that is final. I don't want you to do the whole work nor will I do that. So where do we meet?" I asked

"Hmm since we do have to partner for the project, so why don't we meet at your house." she said brusquely

"Sure, we can work there. I hope we become friends coz I like your attitude." I said and I left her there

I left for Chemistry AP. I reached early so I sat down and read a novel I brought along.

My teacher here was . He asked me to introduce myself and handed us out worksheets to check how much we had studied. I aced it of course, so I was feeling quite satisfied. I shared Trig with Bella but we were seated differently. I sat with Angela and chatted with her, she was a nice girl.

After two classes, I started to recognize several of the faces in each class. There was always someone braver than the others who would introduce themselves and ask me questions about how I was liking Forks. I started conversing with people but I did not find anyone of special interest. The whole day passed slowly.

I walked with Angela to the cafeteria and sat at the end of a full table with several of her friends, who she introduced to seemed impressed by her bravery in speaking to me. I talked to a boy named Jace and a pretty redhead named Nancy. I looked over Bella and saw her staring at the Cullens.

"Bella baby, you better click a photograph. That will last forever." I said. She just glared at me and went back to staring at them creepily.

They were all beautiful of course and they all had an aura of danger surrounding them but they all were nice people. Even creepy Eddiekins, I always felt bad for them.

"Bella they are not aliens, so please stop staring at them." I said

"Who are they?" Bella asked and finally looked away.

"That's Edward and Emmett Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. The one who left was Alice Cullen; they all live together with Dr. Cullen and his wife." She said this under her breath.

"They are... very nice-looking."Bella struggled with the conspicuous understatement.

"Yes!" Jessica agreed with another giggle. "They're all together though - Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice, I mean. And they live together." Her voice held all the shock and condemnation of the small town, I thought critically. But, if I was being honest, I had to admit that even in Phoenix, it would cause gossip. 

"Well it is none of our business. It is not as if your or mine or any other persons opinion matters to them." I said

"W-well th-they.. Of course." she spluttered

"Which ones are the Cullens?" Bella asked. "They don't look related..."

"Oh, they're not. Dr. Cullen is really young, in his twenties or early thirties. They're all adopted. The Hales are brother and sister, twins - the blondes - and they're foster children." the blondie said after recovering from my attack, seemingly happy to give Bella any gossip.

"They look a little old for foster children."

"They are now, Jasper and Rosalie are both eighteen, but they've been with Mrs. Cullen since they were eight. She's their aunt or something like that."

"That's really kind of nice - for them to take care of all those kids like that, when they're so young and everything."

"I guess so," Jessica admitted reluctantly, and I got the impression that she didn't like the doctor Cullen and his wife for some reason. With the glances she was throwing at their adopted children, I would presume the reason was jealousy. "I think that Mrs. Cullen can't have any kids, though," she added, as if that lessened their kindness.

"So what about that, I think it is noble of her to adopt so many kids. The woman has guts, don't you think so blondie ?" I asked

"Yeah, I guess." she said

"This whole conversation is ridiculous. I think you are just jealous that they are more gorgeous than you and certainly more richer."

"Scarlett, stop it okay. Um, she has not insulted them that much."

"Ah, but you are contradicting yourself , you used 'that much' which implies that she has insulted them. And she has no right to advertise someones inability to have kids, and be happy over that fact no less."

"Have they always lived in Forks?" she asked again to distract the blondie bitch

"No," she said in a voice that implied it should be obvious, even to a new arrival like me. "They just moved down two years ago from somewhere in Alaska."

I just ignored their mindless blabber and turned Angela and started conversing with her; to be honest I loved almost all of the Cullens so I did not like her insulting them. I felt a surge of pity for because, as beautiful as they were, they were outsiders, they were battling their own demons.

"Scarlett ! Don't you think Dr Cullen should adopt us? I wish he would." Angela said

"Nah, I don't think so." I saw Rosalie smile briefly at me and I smiled back. Emmett looked a few more minutes, they left the table together. They all were noticeably graceful. I got up and left. I had Bio AP next after that art, History AP, Physics AP and school was we entered the classroom, Angela went to sit at a black-topped lab table exactly like the ones I was used to. She already had a neighbor. In fact, all the tables were filled but two. Next to the center aisle, I recognized Edward Cullen by his unusual hair, sitting next to one of the open seat. Before Bella could sit at that open seat, I sat there. She glared at me, but I could tolerate her glare if it meant that she would be safe. I did not want to die nor do I want my sister to die, so I had taken the seat next to Eddiekins- Better safe than she walked down the aisle to introduce myself to the teacher and get her slip signed, I was watching him surreptitiously. Just as she passed to sit down at the last seat , he suddenly went rigid in his seat. He stared at her in anger, hostility was rolling off him in waves. She looked away quickly, shocked, going red again. She stumbled over a book in the walkway and had to catch myself on the edge of a table. The girl sitting there giggled.I glared at him. How dare he glare at my sister? I knew Bella would cry her eyes out and I hated to see her cry. As if sensing my glare he stared at me. I just glared back, not even breaking eye contact. Bro, I am the best at staring and glaring contest. No one can beat me; feel my victory. Mwahahaha Edward finally admitted defeat to my genius and looked down.I did a mini-victory dance in my head. I have now defeated two Cullens. The lecture was on cellular anatomy, something I'd already studied. I just started drawing and humming Carry on my Wayward Son and drawing. I continued to ignore the prick sitting next to class seemed to drag on and on. I wish I could read something , maybe the Book Thief or The Count of Monte Cristo or maybe Hamlet. I saw that I was drawing a room of sorts with three thrones on a dais. I was a little confused, because it looked vaguely familiar.

At that moment, the bell rang loudly, making me jump, and Edward Cullen was out of his seat. Fluidly he rose and he was out the door before anyone else was out of their seat.

I quickly got up and started to leave.

"Aren't you Scarlett Swan?" a male voice asked.I looked up to see a baby-faced boy, with pale blond hair carefully gelled into orderly spikes, smiling at me in what he supposed was a friendly way.

"Yes? What do you want from me?," I corrected him, with a smile.

"I'm Mike."

"Okay, so?"

"Do you need any help finding your next class?"

"No thank you, actually. I think I can find it."

"Oh well, if that's all then I will go." He seemed sad; like I care. He went ahead to have a chance with Bella. I left for my History AP class, unlike many people out there I loved History. It was such an interesting subject and it never failed to enthrall me. As I entered the class, my teacher signed my slip. After I introduced myself she told me to take a seat in front of Alice and Jasper Cullen. I tried to keep calm but I was feeling nervous and tense, I hope he attributed it to me being a new student. I soon found myself immersed in the world of history. As soon as I read the words in the chapter, I imagined the scenario itself. The teacher assessed us and as soon as our test was over, she gave us the whole period free. Since Jace was in the same class we talked about sports in general and teased of each other. I found out that he had a crush on Nancy. Hmmm what about Ned? My Physics class, which was taught by was over quickly and the final bell rang. I walked with Bella to the office to return my paperwork. The rain had drifted away, but the wind was strong, and Cullen stood at the desk in front of us. He didn't appear to notice the sound of our entrance. He was arguing with in a low voice, probably trying to 'dazzle' her. We quickly picked up the gist of the argument. He was trying to trade from sixth-hour Biology to another time - any other time. I could see the curiosity in Bella's chocolate eyes and knew that it meant trouble. Despite my effort he had glared at her and sparked her almost obsessive interest in door opened again, and the cold wind suddenly gusted through the room, rustling the papers on the desk, swirling our hair around my face. The girl who came in merely stepped to the desk, placed a note in the wire basket, and walked out again. But Edward Cullen's back stiffened, and he turned slowly to glare at us - with piercing, hate-filled eyes. I just raised my eyebrow and walked an instant, I felt a thrill of genuine fear, raising the hair on my arms. He turned back to the receptionist.

"Never mind, then," he said hastily in a voice like velvet. "I can see that it's impossible. Thank you so much for your help." And he turned on his heel without another look at me, and disappeared out the door.I went to the desk, my face and handed her the signed slip.

"How did your first day go, dear?" the receptionist tried to ask maternally.

"Oh it went very well, I made many new friends and enjoyed my classes." I said lying a bit

"Fine," Bell lied, her voice weak. She didn't look convinced.

When we got to the truck, it was almost the last car in the lot. I sat inside and turned on the radio. We headed back to Charlie's house and I saw Bella fighting tears.

"Bella, he does not matter. Don't take the actions of a single person this seriously. He is not worth it." I said

" I just can't not care Scarlett, you won't understand. Why does he hate me so? I have not even talked to him."

"Maybe, it was me and not you, so just chill. Let us not obsess over him. You know what, you can confront him tomorrow regarding everything." I said knowing that he won't be there and with that we reached home

I had a nice long chat with mom about my worries regarding Edward, though I did not mention his name and Bella. She was glad to know that I was fitting in well, but sad about Bella. I told her that I missed her and said good night. With that I went to sleep, thoughts of tomorrow raging in my head.

 _A/N HOPE YOU LOVE THIS ONE. PLEASE COMMENT AND TELL ME YOUR OPINION. WE WILL SEE MORE OF SCARLETT- ROSALIE FRIENDSHIP:) SCARLETT IS ONE YEAR YOUNGER THAN BELLA BUT SHE SKIPPED A GRADE JUST BECAUSE SHE WANTED TO KEEP AN EYE ON HER:)_


	7. Chapter 5

Scarlett POV

The next day was better... and worse for Bella. I had also decide to run so that I would stay fit even though I abhorred it. I had decided to work with Rosalie on Florence today for our project at my house. Rosalie and I talked a lot today ; we became a lot closer tan we were and even Jasper and Alice tried to make conversation with me. The days flashed past us and we quickly settled into a routine. I have decided to visit La Push today.

"Bella are you alright? You look very tired." I asked

"Yeah I am fine." Bella said

"Look I am your sister, tell me about any problem you have. Kay?"

I saw Bella's mood grow worse all over the course of the day but I could do nothing. During Biology, I became partners with Bella. I was feeling a little pissed of by Mike because he had taken on to follow Bella around and in the process started flirting with me. He was not subtle and no matter how rude or sarcastic I was he would not buzz off. Rosalie and I were becoming friends slowly , there was a very interesting person underneath all that prickliness. She felt more like a sister to me than Bella.I was relieved that I had the desk to myself, that Edward was the school day was finally done, I quickly found Bella and we left. Last night Bella discovered that Charlie couldn't cook much besides fried eggs and bacon. So she requested that she should be assigned kitchen detail for the duration of my stay. He was willing enough to hand over the keys to the banquet hall. So we had my shopping list and the cash from the jar in the cupboard labeled FOOD, MONEY, and we were on the way to the Thriftway. I was looking for chocolate ice cream (my favorite) and frozen food until I bumped into someone.

"Oh I am so sorry, let me help you pick up all the things you dropped." I said

"Well thank you young lady." A beautiful lady with caramel colored hair said. She had a beautiful voice, soft and soothing.

"Oh there is no problem, thank you." I said and left as I had to reach on time because Rosalie was coming over. I dragged Bella to the counter and made her pay for the purchases, and I quickly drove the car I am still early , so I will just brought out my laptop and started collecting some information. The bell rang and I eagerly went to open the door.

"Hiya Rose" I said and hugged her. "Come on inside."

"Would you like some refreshments?" I asked "Or maybe some ice cream?"

"No thank you. I am fine." Rosalie said

"Say Rosalie , I am going to babysit my neighbor's children, would you like to join me? We can play with children and then we can talk after they have gone to sleep. Pleaseeeeeeeeeee say yes." I said giving her puppy dog eyes.

"Let me think about it." she said. Translation:- Let me talk to Carlisle about it.

"Oh come on, say yes. Everybody loves children that is except Bella." I corrected "But please come on. It will be fun. Oh and we can have a sleepover party too, I will invite Angela and you can invite Alice too." I said getting carried on

"Wait a sec, let us finish the project and then we will think about it." I opened my mouth to say something but she gave me her patented Rosalie death glare which shut me up.

"Fine let's work on the project." I sulked. Rosalie gave me an exasperated glance and we worked on our project for 3 hours.

"There we are done, so will you join me for babysitting?" I asked

"Alright I will." she conceded. I grinned at her.

" Bye Rosalie see you at school." I said as she left.

I gunned the truck's deafening engine to life, and left for La Push. I was excited to see Jake, Quil and Em. I reached La Push quickly and knocked the door to Billy's house.

"Hey Billy how are you? Where's Jake and the gang?" I asked

"I am fine kiddo , they are in Jake's garage fixing cars." he said. I quickly went to the garage and saw Jake working on his Rabbit with Quil and Em beside them. I sneakily went in reached up to them and

"Booooooo" I screamed. They jumped up in the air as if they had seen a ghost and I laughed my head off.

"Look at your faves th-they..." And Iost it.

"Star" they screamed and started tickling finally regaining my breath and pushing them off me, I said "Sup?"

"We are fixing Jake's car but have trouble obtaining a master cylinder for it." Em said

"Come on let's just sit and talk on the beach." I said

"Nah I am fine. Em will go, right Em." Jake said, and I turned my puppy dog eyes toward Em.

"Fine, you guys win." He said and I took his hand

"So Em do you happen to like someone?" I asked

"Yes well I do, but I am nervous whether she likes me or not." He said with red cheeks

"Awwwww, how adorable Em is blushing. So who is the extremely lucky girl?" I asked

"Well her name is Anna, she is just so pretty, so kind , so caring she is indescribable." he said

"So are you dating?" I asked

"No, I have to ask her out. I am afraid that she may not like me." Em said

"So buck up the courage , dude. You won't know until you try and I have to meet her." I said

"Does Jake still have his teensy crush on Bella?" I asked

"Yes he does."

"Tell him to move on from her, she will just bring him heart ache. I know my sister and she is very selfish, she would exploit him without any compunction. So just tell him to keep a distance and not to be obvious about his feelings." I said. It was getting late so I decided to leave in that monstrous truck. I went home and did my homework till Dad came.

"Star? Bella?" my father called out when he came home.

"Hey, Dad, welcome home." Bella said

"Yep welcome home, how was your day?" I asked and hugged him

"Boring, did nothing much." He hung up his gun belt and stepped out of his boots as Bella bustled about the kitchen. As far as I was aware, he'd never shot the gun on the job. But he kept it ready.

"What's for dinner?" he asked warily. My mother was an imaginative cook, and her experiments weren't always edible.

"Steak and potatoes," Bella answered, and he looked relieved.

"Yum, I love steak." I went inside the kitchen to help Bella

"Dad why don't you go and watch T.V. Your daughters will manage everything." I said. I called him in when dinner was ready, and he sniffed appreciatively as he walked into the room.

"Smells good, Star;Bell."

"Thanks." We said in unison. We ate in silence for a few minutes. It wasn't uncomfortable. Neither of us was bothered by the quiet. In some ways, we were well suited for living together.

"So, how did you like school? Have you made any friends?" he asked as he was taking seconds.

"Well, I have a few classes with a girl named Jessica. I sit with her friends at lunch. And there's this boy, Mike, who's very seems pretty nice." Bella said

"I made friends with Angela, Jace, Rosalie and Nancy. They are awesome."

"You made friends with Rosalie! Why didn't you tell me?" Bella said

"Well you are not my keeper. Plus I don't keep track of everything." I said

"That must be Mike Newton. Nice kid - nice family. His dad owns the sporting goods store just outside of town. He makes a good living off all the backpackers who come through here." Dad interjected

"Do you know the Cullen family?" Bella asked hesitantly.

"Dr. Cullen's family? Sure. Dr. Cullen's a great man."

"They... the kids... are a little different. They don't seem to fit in very well at school."

"Well Rosalie is pretty cool." I said

"Good you should make friends with them." he said still sounding angry

Charlie surprised Bella by looking angry. I could see the surprise on Bella's face.

"People in this town," he muttered. "Dr. Cullen is a brilliant surgeon who could probably work in any hospital in the world, make ten times the salary he gets here," he continued, getting louder. "We're lucky to have him - lucky that his wife wanted to live in a small town. He's an asset to the community, and all of those kids are well behaved and polite. I had my doubts, when they first moved in, with all those adopted teenagers. I thought we might have some problems with them. But they're all very mature - I haven't had one speck of trouble from any of them. That's more than I can say for the children of some folks who have lived in this town for generations. And they stick together the way a family should - camping trips every other weekend... Just because they're newcomers, people have to talk."

"They seemed nice enough to me. I just noticed they kept to themselves. They're all very attractive," Bella added, trying to be more complimentary.

"You should see the doctor," Charlie said, laughing. "It's a good thing he's happily married. A lot of the nurses at the hospital have a hard time concentrating on their work with him around."

We lapsed back into silence as we finished eating. He cleared the table while I started on the dishes. He went back to the TV, and after I finished washing the dishes by hand - no dishwasher - I went upstairs unwillingly to work on my homework. I fell asleep quickly, exhausted.  
The rest of the week was uneventful. I got used to the routine of my classes. By Friday I was able to name, almost all the students at school. I remembered the conversation I had with Rosalie on the subject of Mike.

 _Flashback_

"Hey Rosalie, do you have any idea on how to get potential stalkers to buzz off?" I asked

"Just glare at them if they try to approach and ignore them. If that does not work tell them to piss off."

"I have tried that and yet Mike keeps on flirting with me. I just want to take hold of him and knee him once and then punch maybe him on the nose. He is so annoying, he is like a flea. And that is insulting the poor flea." I said and Rosalie laughed

"How could you laugh at my troubles? You betrayed me?" I said dramatically clutching my heart which made Rosalie laugh even harder

 _Flashback_ _over_

I had somehow broken her defenses and won over her trust. Since the day I had defended them, she had softened a bit and then we had talked a lot. Rosalie had not had a proper friend even when she was human so I guess that she had finally found a friend in me. To be honest she was portrayed as selfish, vain, rude and over-protective and she was all that but she was also witty with a very wicked sense of humor . I think we could be very good Cullen didn't come back to school. Every day, Bella watched anxiously until the rest of the Cullens entered the cafeteria without him. Then she would relax and join in the lunchtime conversation. Mostly it centered around a trip to the La Push Ocean Park in two weeks that Mike was putting together. I was invited, and I had agreed to go, more out of politeness than way I could meet J, Em and Quill. comfortable entering my Biology class, no longer worried that Edward would be there and read my first weekend in Forks passed without incident. Rosalie and I were becoming fast friends and I was friendly with Alice and Jasper too. Charlie, unused to spending time in the usually empty house, worked most of the and I cleaned the house, got ahead on homework, and I talked to mom. The rain stayed soft over the weekend, so I was a little greeted me in the parking lot Monday morning. I didn't know all their names, but I waved back and smiled at everyone. It was colder this morning, but happily not raining. Alice, Rosalie and I planned a trip for shopping though I warned Alice to not go we walked out of class today, the air was full of swirling bits of white. I could hear people shouting excitedly to each other. The wind bit at my cheeks, my nose.

"Wow," Mike said. "It's snowing."

I quietly sneaked out and scooped a lot of snow. I knew if I had to hit one of them I would have to be sneaky. So I decided to aim for Jasper who was in front of Alice. Since it was a split second decision Alice could not see it. However Jasper sensed it and ducked only to be caught by Emmett's snow ball while mine hit Alice in the face. The shock on her face was so hilarious that I started laughing. Alice gave me a deadly look which almost stopped my laughter. Almost, until I was hit in the face by a snow ball by Alice. I saw Alice smirking and grinned

"It's on pixiemon. " And I hit her with a snow ball which she dodged, which hit Emmett and soon a crazy snow ball fight started. I had noticed Edward but I did not pay attention to him. After that, I went to my first class with Alice and Jasper.

"Soooooooooooo Alice , what say you about having a sleepover at my house." I gave her my puppy dog eyes. "Please say yes."

"Hmmmm we could have one and we could play dress up and paint each other's nails and watch rom-com's and..." Alice was practically jumping up and down with excitement

"Woah pixiemon, we have to convince Rosalie too."

"You can leave that to me." she said

"First we will invite her and then set the date."

"Okay I will invite Nancy and Angela too." I said. I was excited as Nancy and Angel agreed to come. So when I reached the cafeteria for lunch I thought nothing could bring me down, until I thought about Bio. Ughhh I have to face "Mr.I am so mature". NOTE THE SARCASM. Tough but it's life so I just grabbed some fruit, pasta and some juice.

"Are you well Bells?" I said noticing

"Yeah I am ok." she said.I waited for them to get their food, and then followed them to a table, my eyes on my feet. I would keep the story on track and ask Bella to join us.

I kept my head down and glanced up under my lashes. None of them were looking this way. I lifted my head a little. They were laughing. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett all had their hair entirely saturated with melting snow. Alice and Rosalie were leaning away as Emmett shook his dripping hair toward them. They were enjoying the snowy day, just like everyone else - only they looked more like a scene from a movie than the rest of us.

"Bella, what are you staring at?" Jessica intruded, her eyes following Bella's stare. Ugh , they are having their emo staring that precise moment, his eyes flashed over to meet her eyes.

"Edward Cullen is staring at both of you," Jessica giggled

"Oh my god people give her an oscar she knows that Edfart over there is staring at Bella." I said sarcastically. There was a huge amount of laughter coming from the Cullen's table. I saw Edfart glaring at me and I waved back sarcastically and blew him a kiss.

"He doesn't look angry, does he?" Bella asked

"Oh he does trust me but not at you."

"I don't think he likes me," Bella confided to Jessica.

"The Cullens don't like anybody... well, except may be your sister. But he's still staring at you."

"Stop looking at him," Bella snickered, but she looked away.

Mike interrupted the conversation - and that was the moment I stopped paying attention to the conversation.

"Hey gorgeous, so what say you and I go out today?" Mike asked

"How about never? You will never be able to date me, I am wayyyyyyyyyyy out of your league. So why don't you go date a dumb girl wanting to be popular than me."

And for the rest of the lunch hour he did not communicate with was raining outside, washing all traces of the snow away in clear, making me groan in disappointment. Imade my way to building four and joined Bio class. Once inside the classroom, I saw that my table was still empty. Mr. Banner was walking around the room, distributing one microscope and box of slides to each table. Class didn't start for a few minutes, and the room buzzed with conversation. I heard very clearly when the chair next to me moved, but my eyes stayed carefully focused on the pattern I was drawing. Bella would be joining us since both of us had been partners when Edfart was not there.

"Hello," said a quiet, musical voice.

"Hello Mr. Edfart." I said in no mood to be civil." Please just ignore me as I am in no mood to talk to a rude, manner less monkey who has anger issues so please ignore me." I looked up too see him stunned.

"My name is Edward Cullen," he continued. "I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Bella Swan and Scarlett Swan."

"H-how do you know my name?" Bella stammered.

"Oh, I think everyone knows your name. The whole town's been waiting for you to arrive."  
I grimaced.

"No," I persisted stupidly. "I meant, why did you call me Bella?"

He seemed confused. "Do you prefer Isabella?"

"No, I like Bella," I said. "But I think Charlie - I mean my dad - must call me Isabella behind my back - that's what everyone here seems to know me as," Bella tried to explain.

"Oh." He let it drop. I looked away awkwardly.

Thankfully, Mr. Banner started class at that moment. I tried to concentrate as he explained the lab we would be doing today. The slides in the box were out of order. Working as lab partners, we had to separate the slides of onion root tip cells into the phases of mitosis they represented and label them accordingly. We weren't supposed to use our books. In twenty minutes, he would be coming around to see who had it right.

"Get started," he commanded.

"Ladies first, partner?" Edward asked.

"That means you Bella. I highly doubt I would be considered a lady."

"Why do you not consider yourself a lady?" He asked

"Oh because I am a woman living on the edge of life." I said

"I'll go ahead." Bella said with a little anger in her voice.

She was showing off, just a little because she'd already done this lab, and knew what she was looking for.

"Prophase." she said

"Do you mind if I look?" he asked as I began to remove the slide.

"Why don't I check the next slide because I know my sister got it right." I interrupted

"I'm sorry but I don't know whether she is right." he muttered

"Prophase," he agreed, writing it neatly in the first space on our worksheet. He swiftly switched out the first slide for the second, and then glanced at it cursorily.

"Anaphase," I murmured, Edfart writing it down as I spoke.

"Slide three?" Bella held out my hand without looking at him.

"Interphase."she passed him the microscope before he could ask for it. He took a swift peek, and then wrote it down. We were finished before anyone else was close. I could see Mike and his partner comparing two slides again and again, and another group had their book open under the left us with nothing to do but try to not look at him... unsuccessfully. I glanced up, and he was staring at me, that same inexplicable look of frustration in his eyes.

"Did you get contacts?" Bella blurted out unthinkingly.

He seemed puzzled by her unexpected question. "No."

"Oh," Bella mumbled. "I thought there was something different about your eyes."

He shrugged, and looked away.

I just doodled in my notebook. I had drawn three men. Their faces were blurred but everything was clear. I tried to imagine their face but they did not fit. It just frustrated me. They looked familiar but I could not just place those faces. I stopped doodling when Mr. Banner came to our table then, to see why we weren't working. He looked over our shoulders to glance at the completed lab, and then stared more intently to check the answers.

"So, Edward, didn't you think Isabella and Scarlett should get a chance with the microscope?" Mr. Banner asked.

"Bella," Edfart corrected automatically. "Actually, she identified two of the five. And Scarlett the other two."

Mr. Banner looked at Bella now; his expression was skeptical.

"Have you done this lab before?" he asked.

Bella smiled sheepishly. "Not with onion root."

"Whitefish blastula?"

"Yeah."

Mr. Banner nodded. "Were you both in an advanced placement program in Phoenix?"

"Yes." We said

"Jinx" I told Bella

"Well," he said after a moment, "I guess it's good you are lab partners." He mumbled something else as he walked away. After he left, I began doodling on my notebook again.

"It's too bad about the snow, isn't it?" Edward asked.

"Not really," I answered honestly, instead of pretending to be normal like everyone else. I was still trying to dislodge the stupid feeling of suspicion, and I couldn't concentrate.

"You don't like the cold." It wasn't a question.

"Or the wet."

"Forks must be a difficult place for you to live," he mused.

"You have no idea," Bella muttered darkly.

He looked fascinated by what she said.

"Why did you come here, then?"

"It's... complicated."

"I think I can keep up," he pressed.

"My mother got remarried," Bella said.

"That doesn't sound so complex," he disagreed, but he was suddenly sympathetic. "When did that happen?"

"Last September." Bella's voice sounded sad, even to me.

"And you don't like him," Edward surmised, his tone still kind.

"No, Phil is fine. Too young, maybe, but nice enough."

"Yeah when he came , our home was more stable I guess." I added

"Why didn't you stay with them?"

"Phil travels a lot. He plays ball for a living." I smiled.

"Have I heard of him?" he asked, smiling in response.

"Probably not. He doesn't play well. Strictly minor league. He moves around a lot." Bella said

"And your mother sent you here so that she could travel with him." He said it as an assumption again, not a question.

My chin raised a fraction. "No, she did not send me here. I sent myself."

His eyebrows knit together. "I don't understand," he admitted, and he seemed unnecessarily frustrated by that fact.I sighed. Why was she explaining this to him?

"She stayed with me at first, but she missed him. It made her unhappy... so we decided it was time to spend some quality time with Charlie." her voice was glum by the time she finished.

"But now you're unhappy," he pointed out.

"And?" I challenged.

"That doesn't seem fair." He shrugged, but his eyes were still intense.

Bella laughed without humor. "Hasn't anyone ever told you? Life isn't fair."

"I believe I have heard that somewhere before," he agreed dryly.

"So that's all," Bella insisted, wondering why he was still staring at me that way.

His gaze became appraising. "You put on a good show," he said slowly. "But I'd be willing to bet that you're suffering more than you let anyone see."

"Am I wrong?" he asks"I didn't think so," he murmured smugly.

"Why does it matter to you?" Bella asked, irritated. I kept my eyes away, watching the teacher make his rounds.

"That's a very good question," he muttered, so quietly that I wondered if he was talking to himself. However, after a few seconds of silence, I decided that was the only answer I was going to get. And I doodled.I sighed, scowling at the blackboard.

"Am I annoying you?" he asked. He sounded amused.

"YES. Duh."

I glanced at him without thinking... and told the truth again. "Not exactly. I'm more annoyed at myself. My face is so easy to read - my mother always calls me her open book." Bella frowned.

"On the contrary, I find you very difficult to read." Despite everything that I'd said and he'd guessed, he sounded like he meant it.

"You must be a good reader then," Bella replied.

"Usually." He smiled widely.

Mr. Banner called the class to order then, and I turned with relief to listen. I  
I tried to appear attentive as Mr. Banner illustrated, with transparencies on the overhead projector, what I had seen without difficulty through the microscope. But my thoughts were the bell finally rang, Edward rushed as swiftly and as gracefully from the room as he had last skipped quickly to my side and picked up my books for me. I imagined him with a wagging tail.

"That was awful," he groaned. "They all looked exactly the same. You're lucky you had Cullen for a partner."

"I didn't have any trouble with it," I said, stung by his assumption.

"Cullen seemed friendly enough today," he commented as we shrugged into our raincoats. He didn't seem pleased about it.

"So, it's none of your business." I said

Bella tried to sound indifferent. "I wonder what was with him last Monday."

I left for History AP. I quickly entered the classroom and I was about to sit on my seat when Alice came and sat beside me.

"Hey Pixiemon. So why have you changed your seat?" I asked

"Rosalie agreed, now all we have to do is decide a date."

"What about day after tomorrow?" I asked

"Perfect."

"So Alice what we are going to do is..."

"Ms Swan and Ms Cullen pay attention." Ms Gray shouted at us

"Sorry Ms Gray." we said in unison and looked at her with our puppy dog eyes. "Please forgive us."

"Alright just don't repeat it." she sight

"Ladies I guess you should wait a little for your conversation." Jasper drawled

"Of course Jazzy-poo , wouldn't want want you to feel left out." I said in a fake cheerleader type voice

"J-J-Jazzy poo" he spluttered

"Oh dear, don't stress it."I grinned while Alice laughed

"Alice give me your phone number." I whispered. "I will call you later."

After that, I went to P.E. and the coach made us run laps. Then he asked us to play rain was just a mist as I walked to the parking lot, but I was happier when I was in the dry cab. I got the heater running.

"Hey pixiemon." I called Alice. "Is Rose there with you?"

"Nope."

"Well maybe you can fill her up on the details." And we discussed everything when we reached home. We were going to spend the whole day together. We were going shopping and then have a sleepover with Nan and Angela. I was excited and couldn't wait for the day to arrive.

"Bye pixiemon. See ya tomorrow."

 _A/N- SO AND SCARLETT ARE FORMING A GREAT BOND OF FRIENDSHIP. ALSO I HAVE DECIDED TO GO WITH THE KINGS FOR THIS FIC. PROVIDED THIS STORY TURNS OUT WELL, I WOULD BE POSTING A SPIN OFF TO THIS FIC FOR EDWARD,JASPER AND GARRETT SO EDWARD IS NOT GOING TO GO FOR HER. CAN ANYONE MAKE A COVER FOR THIS STORY? PLUS MY SPIN OFF WOULD DIFFER FROM CHAPTER 4 ONWARD SO I WILL PUBLISH IT SOON. ALSO THERE'S A POLL ON MY PAGE. DO YOU WANT ATHENODORA AND/OR SULPICIA TO BE EVIL? PLEASE VOTE._


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